Why is my Siren recognized as a light switch?

Z-Wave devices use a limited set of "command classes" to communicate with each other - everything from sensor states ("door closed" or "motion detected") to control signals ("turn on light" or "close valve") are transcribed into these command classes and transmitted wirelessly. Some commonly used command classes include "Notification" (used to communicate detected events, like movement or a leak,) "Multilevel Sensor" (used to communicate sensor data that can have a range of values, like brightness or temperature,) or "Binary Switch" (used to control devices that turn on or off, like a light switch.)

Considering the wide array of devices that can use Z-Wave, it is impractical to use a different command class for each different type of device, since each Hub manufacturer will have to spend time accommodating new devices as they are invented. Therefore, most devices that can be "turned on" or "turned off," like light bulbs, valves, or in this case, the Siren, will use the Binary Switch command class for basic control so that all Hubs will recognize the device and use it.

In the case of our Siren, there are also ten different chimes available, which are triggered using a completely different command class. To allow access to the chimes, we have to work directly with Hub manufacturers to implement the command class and expose the functionality. See our integrations page for more information.

TL;DR: if your Hub recognizes the Siren as a light switch, it's probably not fully supported in the ecosystem yet, but the Siren can be turned on or off (though the chimes might not be available.)